A coiling treatment for an aneurysm is exemplified as one of catheter treatments. In the coiling treatment, a leading end of a catheter is inserted into the aneurysm, a thin soft coil is taken out of the leading end of the catheter, and an inside of the aneurysm is filled with the coil. Where to place the leading end of the catheter inside of the aneurysm is extremely important in the coiling treatment. Accordingly, in general, during the treatment, a vicinity of the aneurysm is imaged using an X-ray imaging apparatus, and a real-time image on a display is monitored.
Examples of the X-ray imaging apparatus used in such a catheter treatment include a normal X-ray imaging apparatus of a single-plane type, and also include: an X-ray imaging apparatus of a biplane type that is capable of imaging in two directions at the same time; an X-ray imaging apparatus including stereo X-ray tubes having two X-ray focal spots; and an X-ray imaging apparatus that photographs an object while moving one X-ray tube around the object and generates an image that can be stereoscopically observed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 03-123537 and the like).
The X-ray imaging apparatus having stereo X-ray tubes or the X-ray imaging apparatus that photographs an object while moving one X-ray tube around the object enable stereoscopic view of an affected area, so that the affected area can be stereoscopically observed.
Meanwhile, a large number of blood vessels run in a head region in a complicated and intricate manner. In addition, as described above, a setting position of a leading end of a catheter is extremely important in the coiling treatment and the like for an aneurysm in a head region, but conventional stereoscopic images cannot necessarily provide an operator with a satisfactory sense of depth and a satisfactory stereoscopic effect.
Under the circumstances, there is a demand for a medical image processing apparatus that enables an operator to easily understand a front-back and right-left positional relation of blood vessels in and around an affected area of an aneurysm or the like, and provides a stereoscopic image that contributes to an accurate catheter operation without any error, even in an area in which the blood vessels run in a complicated and intricate manner.